Wrap-around dress



Sept. 13, 1938.

G. D. DUROCHER WRAP-AROUND DRES 5 Filed June 29, 1936 I N l EN TO 78 Grace D fiurac/ir.

flTTQE/VEY Patented Sept. 13, 1938 r I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WRAP -AROUND DRE SS Grace D. Durocher, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Forest'City Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application June 29, 1936, Serial No. 87,856 6 Claims. (01. 2-74) This invention relates generally to feminine are made from the same pattern and a descripouter wear and has more particular reference to tion of one will sufiice for the other.

a dress of so-called Wrap-around type, that is to Each panel B, B, is cut from a single piece of say, a coat-like garment for feminine wear, in material and extends for the full length of the which, when the garment is worn, the front pangarment, so as to comprise a front skirt-portion els thereof overlap one another at the front of c and a front waist-portion (1, respectively below the figure. and above the waist line of the garment, indi Wrap-around dresses, as heretofore constructcated by the dot-dash line 6 in Figure 2. ed, have been, so far as I am aware, loosely fit- Each of the panels B, B, is formed for attach- 10 ting garments more suitable for house wear than ment of its side margin i to the corresponding 10 for the street, for the reason that, in the present side margin l or T", as the case may be, of the state of the art, if a sufficient width of material back panel A, each of the front waist-portions d is provided to afford an adequate lap of the front likewise having an arm cut-out 8 complementary panels to render the garment suitable for street to the arm cut-out 3 of the back waist-portionb.

Wear, the neck opening over the bust will gape The front panels B, B, are also joined to the badly at bent over positions of the body, with back panel A at the respective shoulders of the consequent exposure thereof, and while the waist garment, and, in forming the pattern of each may be out low to avoid the gaping, such a low cut panel B, B', the width of the material at the of the waist is required as to likewise result in front shoulder margin 9 of the front waist-porgo excessive exposure of the body. tion (1 is cut in excess, as at In, of the width My invention has hence for its prime object of the corresponding back shoulder margin H of the provision of a garment of the kind described, the back waist-portion b, and, when the waistwhich is characterized in having its front panels portion d is seamed, as at l2, to the waist-porof adequate width to render the garment suitable tion b, the excess material It) is folded into the 5 for street as well as house wear, yet nevertheless seam l2 as an unstitched tuck l3, for a purpose allows a higher cut of the waist for adequately presently appearing, the tuck l3 preferably becovering the body while also neatly and snugly ing located in the seam l2 approximately an inch, fitting the figure at bent-over positions of the more or less, and preferably not more than apbody. proximately one and one-half inches, from the And with the above and other objects in View, neck opening 5 of the garment. 30 my invention resides in the novel features of In Figure 2, the front panel B is shown as an form, construction, arrangement, and combinaillustration ofthe panel B, or the opposite panel tion of parts presently described and pointed out B, as it is cut from the pattern and before it in the claims. is attached to the back panel A, the final shape In the accompanying drawing,- of the panel B being shown by the dot-dash 35 Figure 1 is a front elevational view, as dressed line M. on the figure, of a wrap-around garment-of my The free margin I5 of the front waist portion invention; and d is cut with an excess of material I6, which in- Figure 2 is a detail plan view of the pattern eludes the excess material It and forms a bulge 4.0 f e garment of Figure One Of o t panels or curvature in the margin l4, adjacent the waist 0 beingshown attachedat the shoulder seam to the line 6, The free margin n of t m; Skirt b panel 0f the m portion 0 is likewise cut with an excess of ma- Referring now more In detall and by reference terial l8, which includes the excess material l5 characters to the drawing, which illustrates a and tapers from the Waist line 6 to the bottom preferred embodiment of my ingfvention, fthe garof the skirpportion 45 ment includes a back panel A ormed o a symmetrically gored back skirt-portion aand a fitted i i g} B Shown back waist-portion I), joined to the portion a at an 1 us m 10.11 0 6 Dane or e Opposlte I the Waist Seam the portion b being made up panel B, as it finally appears after attachment 50, from suitably fashioned and conjoined right and at the shoulder seam l2 to the back panel A.

left side panels I, 2 respectively, each having an The excess material l6, 18, of each panel B, or B, is taken up by means of an incomplete arm cut-out 3, and a central panel 4 having a neck cut-out 5. dart I9, which is formed with a replaceable line B, B, designate, respectively, the right and of stitching 2|] in order that the girth of the 5 left front panels of the garment. Such panels garment may readily be adjusted to the waist of the wearer thereof. The dart 19 has its upper end 2| open and disposed above the waist line 6, and extends below the waist line a suitable distance to form a closed end or point 22, the dart l9, together with the tuck l3, providing a breastreceptive fullness in the waist-portion d, as indicated by dot-dash lines 23 in Figure 2.

A tie or string 24 is attached to the free margin of each panel B, B, opposite the waist line 6, and each panel B, B, is provided with an eye or opening 25 disposed in the waist line 6 adjacent the side margin 1 of the panel.

Preferably, though not necessarily, the panels B, B, are first attached to the back panel A at the respective shoulder seams l2, and the garment is then completed by sewing the front panel ide margins l to the back panel side margins l, or I", as the case may be.

The front panels B, B, are each adapted to extend substantially across the front of the garment, the skirt-portion being preferably symmetrically gored, and the width of the panel at the waist line 6 being selected to approximately equal the length of the waist line from hip to hip across the front of the figure of the wearer of the garment.

In the wear of the garment, the front panels B, B, are adapted toreside in overlapping relation across the front of the figure, the tie M of the underlying panel, as B, being passed through the eye 25 of the overlying panel, as B, the pair of ties 24 being brought around to meet at the back of the wearer, where they are suitably separably knotted together, as is customary in the wear of wrap-around garments.

As a result of such overlapping of the panels B, B, the free margins of the respective front waist-portions d are adapted to extend crosswise of each other, each diagonally across the front of the figure from the one shoulder substantially to the opposite hip thereof, and in so doing to complete the neck opening of the garment, as shown at 2B in Figure 1.

Sleeves El may likewise be fitted to the armopenings formed by the arm cut-outs 3 and 8, and the sleeves 2'! may take any desired form as may best suit the intended purpose.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, wrap-around garments have been characterized by a looseness at the neck opening, which results, as I have previously stated, in excessive exposure at bentover positions of the body, and I might add that such looseness occurs even in those cases where it is attempted to provide a fullness below the bust by the formation of darts or pleats in the waist line of the garment.

I have found, however, that, by providing the fullness above the bust, as by the tuck l3, as well as below the bust, as by the dart i9, the diagonal margin [5 of the waist-portion (1 will snugly and smoothly fit the curvature of the figure and will not gape or bulge at bent-over positions of the body.

This characteristic of the garment makes it possible to cut the waist margin [5 higher, so as to adequately cover the bust of the figure, and also to employ such a wider over-lap of the front panels B, B, as to provide a double thickness of dress material across approximately the entire width of the figure, forming a so-called shadowproof lap substantially from said seam to side seam of the garment, all of which several features of my garment most obviously inures to the satisfaction of, and avoids any discomfiture to, the wearer thereof.

The garment is simple and inexpensive in manufacture, is readily dressed on the figure, yet withal fits it neatly and comfortably, and is economical in wear, since the respective panels B, B, may be alternatively exposed on the outer lap when the other panel has become soiled.

It will be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the dressgarment may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In a feminine dress-garment, in combination, a back panel, a front panel attached at side and shoulder seams to the back panel, the width of the material for the shoulder seam of the front panel being in excess of the width of the material for the same seam of the back panel, and the excess material being folded into the shoulder seam as an unstitched tuck to provide a bust-receptive fullness in the front panel therebelow.

2. A womans wrap-around dress comprising a back-panel, and a plurality of overlying front panels attached to the back panel at a shoulder seam, each front panel having a tuck at the shoulder seam and a vertically aligned tuck at the waist line for co-operatively providing a bustreceptive fullness in said panel therebetween.

3. A womans wrap-around dress comprising a back panel, and a plurality of front panels attached to the back panel at a shoulder seam, each front panel having a downwardly opening vertical tuck at the shoulder seam and a vertically aligned upwardly opening tuck at the waist line for co-operatively providing a bust-receptive fullness in the panel therebetween.

4. A womans wrap-around dress comprising a back panel, and a plurality of front panels attached to the back panel, each of said front panels being cut initially of greater width than the normal body-covering requirements of the panel, said excess width in each of said panels being folded in to reduce the said panels to normal body-covering size by the formation at the shoulder seam and the waist line of a pair of vertically aligned upwardly opening V-shaped tucks.

5. In a feminine dress-garment, in combination, a back panel, a front panel attached at side and shoulder seams to the back panel, the width of the material for the shoulder seam of the front panel being in excess of the width of the material for the same seam of the back panel, the excess material being folded into the shoulder seam as an unstitched tuck, the front panel being also cut in excess of material for the required width at the waist line, said excess material being folded at the waist line into an upwardly flaring tuck unstitched at its upper end and disposed in vertical alignment with the shoulder tuck for providing a bust-receptive fullness in the front panel.

6. A wrap-around dress-garment comprising, in combination, a back panel, and a pair of front panels adapted to overlap substantially across the front of the figure when the dress is worn, each front panel being attached to the back panel at respective side and corresponding shoulder seams, the width of the material for the shoulder seam of each front panel being in excess of the width of the material for the same shoulder seam of the back panel, each front panel having its upper margin shaped for extending diagonally across the bust from the shoulder to the opposite hip, and the excess material at the shoulder being folded into the shoulder seam as an'unstitched tuck, the front panel being also cut in excess of material for the required width at the waist line, said excess material being folded at the waist line into an upwardly flaring tuck unstitched at its upper end and disposed in vertical alignment with the shoulder tuck for providing a bust-receptive fullness in the front panel.

GRACE D. DUROC'HER. 

